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Dallas County District Judge, 203rd Judicial District

Civil cases heard by District Courts include personal injury and property damage suits, landlord-tenant matters, contractual and other business disputes. Must be a US citizen and Texas resident between 25 and 74 years old, a practicing lawyer or judge, or both combined for at least 4 years. 4 year term.

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Teresa Hawthorne (Dem)

Raquel 'Rocky' Jones (Dem)Attorney At Law

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Biographical Information

PERFORMANCE & EXPERTISE: Please outline your legal experience, including any specializations and peer review status. Describe any public reprimands or suspensions you have received.

EFFICIENCY: What methods do you support, if any, to increase the efficiency of the District Court to provide swift justice?

ACCESS TO JUSTICE: What, if anything, should be done to improve access to justice for low income residents in civil cases?

OTHER ISSUES: What other issues do you believe will be most pressing in the District Courts and how would you address them?

I have been a lawyer 21 years and a prosecutor for 17 of those years. I have practiced Criminal, Civil and Juvenile law in Dallas and Tarrant County. As a prosecutor and criminal attorney for a majority of my legal career, I pride myself on a long-standing reputation built on the utmost integrity and fairness to both victims and those accused of crimes regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. I have tried a variety of cases from Death Penalty to Juvenile Adjudications and have a thorough knowledge of the laws that govern our Country, State and Counties. I am licensed in the Northern District Federal Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. I am a member of the College of the State Bar. I have no public/private reprimands and no suspension

Docket appearance times for lawyers would be a new process I would like to put in place. As a prosecutor in Tarrant County I experienced very efficient court setting days. Each week certain days were set aside for bond docket and certain days were for jail docket and plea docket as well as trial docket. Having a system in place to know which cases will be handled on which day would improve the efficiency of the court. This would allow cases to move through system at a much swifter pace as well as allowing for the quicker release of those who are incarcerated.

Our role is to ensure that everyone is equally and fairly represented. It is true that the Courts and Court-related services need improvement. Dallas County is more fortunate than most because citizens have access to experienced and skilled lawyers through the Public Defender’s Office, the Indigence programs, and the Court Appointment system that we have in place within the criminal courts. However, we can make the system better by holding defense lawyers as well as prosecutors accountable by making sure that there is a level playing field and making sure they each play by the rules that govern our courts. We can improve the court system by educating the public on the criminal justice process by making information and education accessible.

The most important issue that I believe needs to be addressed in the 203rd Judicial District Court is that laws must be upheld and abide by. As a Judge there is an oath that must be carried out in regards to following all the laws of our Country, State and County. There are always opportunities to help those accused by working within the confines of the law. There should not be a blatant disregard of the laws with no accountability by those who have broken the law. It is my plan and policy to restore accountability, dependability and justice back to that Court because the citizens of Dallas County deserve a Judge who has a thorough knowledge of the law and will uphold those laws.

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